Method for positioning a roll on a roll grinder



Jan. 21, 1969 c, STUCKEY ET AL 3,422,583

METHOD FOR POSITIONING A ROLL, ON A ROLL GRINDER- Original Filed April 16, 1964 Sheet of 4 Fig.1

INVENTORS Albert D.C.Stuckey Paul J.Gruber f WFA T'I 'ORNEYS Jan. 21, 1969 A. D. c. STUCKEY ETAL 3,422,583

METHOD FOR POSiTIONING A ROLL ON A ROLL GRINDER Original Filed April 16, 1964 Sheet 3 of 4 Km mm Jan. 21, 1969 c, STUCKEY ETAL I 3,422,583

' METHOD FOR POSiTIONING A ROLL ON A ROLL GRINDER Original Filed April 16, 1964 Sheet 3 of 4 fas 98 Jan. 21, 1969 c, STUCKEY ET AL 3,422,583

METHOD FOR POSITIONING A ROLL ON A ROLL GRINDER Originl Filed April 16, 1964 Sheet 1 of 4 United States Patent 3,422,583 METHOD FOR POSITIONING A ROLL ON A ROLL GRINDER Albert D. C. Stuckey and Paul J. Gruber, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to The Cincinnati Milling Machine Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application Apr. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 360,232, new Patent No. 3,263,374, dated Aug. 2, 1966. Divided and this application Apr. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 543,091 US. Cl. 51-289 3 Claims Int. Cl. B24b 1/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method for positioning the centerline of a roll on a roll grinding machine coincident with a predetermined desired centerline. The method comprises measuring the deviation of the center of one end of the roll from the desired centerline, positioning the center on the desired centerline, transferring the measuring device to the other end of the roll along an axis parallel with the desired centerline, measuring the deviation of the center of the other end from the desired centerline, and positioning that center on the desired centerline.

This application is a division of our copending application Ser. No. 360,232, filed Apr. 16, 1964, for R011 Grinder Comparator Gauge, now Patent No. 3,263,374, dated Aug. 2, 1966.

This invention relates to roll grinding machines and more particularly to a method of alignment of rolls for regrinding.

The maintenance of rolls in a metal rolling mill is a major problem involving high equipment expense and high direct labor costs as well as expensive rolls consumed in the process due to their attrition resulting from regrinding. It is therefore important that the regrinding of rolls be quickly accomplished so that less direct labor is expended per roll. By reducing the labor time for each reground roll, the use of each machine also becomes more efficient since more rolls can be ground with a machine in a given time. If the rolls are initially aligned in the machine With great accuracy, less material is removed in the regrinding process and a longer roll life results with a corresponding reduction in material costs.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method of roll alignment for setting up a roll grinding machine which method allows quick and accurate positioning of a roll in the machine and which obviates the need for any subsequent aligning procedures after a rough finishing operation.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention should be readily apparent by reference to the following specification, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and it is to be understood that any modifications may be made in the exact structural details there shown and described, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

In its preferred form, this invention is utilized in a roll grinder of the travelling wheelhead type wherein a roll is supported during grinding in journal rests at each end thereof while the grinding wheel is swept across the peripheral surface thereof. Prior to grinding, a roll is "ice set in the journal rests and these journal rests are then adjusted to position the central axis of the roll in alignment with the Ways on which the wheelhead, carrying the grinding wheel, is moved reciprocally from one end to the other. In aligning the roll, a caliper type comparator gauge having three sensing heads is applied to one end of the roll. The three heads are each movable on a radial line from a common center point and are displaced angularly ninety degrees from one to the other around that center point. The three heads are simultaneously movable toward and away from the center by means of a common drive and each is the same distance from the center at all times. The gauge heads are shifted inward toward the roll until each of the heads engages the roll, the engagement being indicated on a dial associated therewith. This measures the deviation of the central axis of the roll from the common center point of the gauge. The journal rest at that end of the roll is then manipulated until each of the three gauge dials indicates a reading identical with the reading of the other dials. The gauge heads are retracted through reversible fixed strokes and moved along the wheelhead ways to the other end of the roll. Since the gauge settings are not affected, this, in effect, is a movement of the common gauge center point to the other end of the roll and in so moving, the center point traces the locus of a reference axis along the roll. In the preferred form, the caliper is swung from a column attached to the wheelhead carriage for movement along the machine ways. The gauge is then applied to the other end of the roll and the journal rest at that end is adjusted until the gauges again read identically for each of the three heads. The central axis of the roll is then parallel to the ways on which the wheelhead travels and is made to correspond to the location of the reference axis traced by the gauge center point. The gauge readings need not be the same at each end, a difference indicating amount of roll taper rather than misalignment of the roll. The gauge is then swung away from the roll and the grinding operation is performed. The aligning comparison is made at each end of the roll in the small and normally unworn area extending beyond the normal strip width handled by the roll, it being conventional to have the rolls extend outward beyond each edge of the strip being rolled.

A clear understanding of this invention can be obtained from the following detailed description of the compara tor mechanism in which reference is made to the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a transverse section through a roll grinding machine looking from the center toward an end.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the comparator gauge from the same line of vantage as in FIG. 1, the mechanism being shown broken away in parts.

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of FIG. 2 as seen from the line 3-3 at the left side.

FIG. 4 is a partial top view of FIG. 2 from line 4 -4.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section of one of the gauge heads.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the pneumatic circuit of the gauge mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a schematic hydraulic diagram for operation of the gauge heads.

As shown in FIG. 1, the roll grinding machine to which the present invention is applied is a conventional travelling wheelhead type roll grinder. The machine includes a bed 10 on which a carriage 11 is supported for longitudinal movement along ways 12, 13 that extend along the rear half of the bed 11). The carriage supports a conventional wheelhead, not shown, which has a grinding wheel rotatably mounted therein. The front half of the machine also has a pair of longitudinal ways 14, 15 parallel to the ways 12, 13 and these support a headstock unit 16 which is adapted to rotate a roll 17 during a grinding operation. The roll 17 is supported in a journal rest unit 18 at each end and the journal rests 18 are adjustably positionable along the ways 14, 15. The roll 17 has a cylindrical journal 19 extending outward therefrom at each end and these journals are engaged by bearing shoes 20, 21 for rotatable support. The shoes 20, 21 are each attached on the end of slides 22, 23, respectively, which are movable in the journal rest unit 18 to position the ends of the roll above the ways 14, 15 and forward and back relative to the other ways 12, 13 so as to allow the central axis of the roll 17 to be aligned parallel to the ways 12, 13, particularly the V-way 12. The slide 22 is movable horizontally toward and away from the center of the roll by rotation of a handwheel 24 fixed on the end of a screw 25 that is rotatable but axially fixed in a yoke 26 attached to the journal rest unit 18. The screw 25 is threaded through the slide 22 which is reciprocally movable in dove-tail ways 27 on top of the unit 18. This effects forward and rearward movement of one end of the roll 17 relative to the V-way 12. The other slide 23 is supported on a wedge 28 that is attached on the end of a screw 29 which is axially movable but not rotatable. The screw 29 is threaded through a rotatable nut 30 attached to a drive shaft 31 which extends outward from the unit 18 and it is adapted to be rotatably driven by a wrench or similar device (not shown). Axial movement of the screw 29 and wedge 28 will provide movement of the slide 23 to raise or lower the roll 17. The slide 23 is off-set from vertical to provide a support to hold the roll journal 19 back against the shoe 20.

The present invention is applied to the machine described to provide the means by which the operator can quickly and conveniently evaluate the position of the roll 17 as it is set in the journal shoes 20, 21 and make adjustments in the position without trial and error to align the central axis of the roll 17 properly and accurately for grinding without further adjustment. The gauge mechanism is supported on the wheelhead carriage 11 and is swung from a column 32. The gauge includes an arm 33 extending in a cantilever manner from the column 32 and the arm is both rotatably movable around and vertically movable on the column 32. In this respect, the column 32 and arm 33 are very similar to the basic structure of a radial drilling machine. The arm 33 is power driven vertically through a mechanism including a motor 34, a drive shaft 35, a rotatable nut 36 and a stationary screw 37 fixed alongside of the column 32. This vertical feed mechanism or the arm 33 is also very similar to the power feed mechanism in a conventional radial drilling machine. The arm 33 has two carriages 38, 39 movably attached thereto and extending downward therefrom. Each of the carriages 38, 39 has a gauge head 40, 41, respectively attached thereto and a third gauge head 42 is movably supported in the arm 33 midway between the carriages 38, 39.

The gauge heads 40, 41, 42 are shown with the arm 33 and carriages 38, 39 in FIG. 2. The gauge heads 40, 41, 42 are simultaneously movable in radial paths from a common center point and each is initially aligned in the machine to be located at the same radial distance from that center. The gauge heads 40, 41 are moved with the carriages 38, 39 while the gauge head 42 is mounted on a slide 43, see also FIG. 4, which is slidable in a track in the arm 33 formed between retaining strips 44, 45. The carriages 38, 39 are slidable along tracks 46, 47 on the arm 33 simultaneously with the movement of the slide 43 by operation of a common mechanical system which is manually actuated from either of two handwheels 48, 49 at each end of the arm 33. The handwheel 48 is attached on the end of a screw 50 that is rotatable in the arm 33. The other handwheel 49 is attached to a shaft 51 on which a bevel gear 52 is fixed and the bevel gear 53 on the end of the screw 50 opposite the handwheel 48. The gears 52, 53 provide a one to one drive from the handwheel 49 to the screw 50. A nut 54, 55 extends into the arm 33 from each of the carriages 38, 39 and these are engaged over the screw 50. The screw 50 is threaded in opposite hands on each side of its center and therefore the two carriages 38, 39 will move toward and away from one another as the screw 50 is rotated. A bevel gear 56 is fixed to the center portion of the screw 50 and it engages another bevel gear 57 fixed on the end of a screw 58 that is rotatable in the arm 33 behind the slide 43. The slide 43 has a nut portion 59 that extends into the arm 33 and is engaged over the screw 58. Therefore, as the two carriages 38, 39 are driven toward or away from one another to shift the gauge heads 40, 41 to and from the gauge center, the slide 43 is also moved to carry the gauge head 42 to and from the gauge center point an equal amount and simultaneously therewith.

The detail of the gauge heads 40, 41, 42 is shown in FIG. 5 which is a longitudinal section of the head 40. The gauge heads 41 and 42 are identical with one another but are mirror images of the head 40. The gauge probe 60 which contacts the roll 17 is of narrow rectangular shape, being narrow in width to present only a very small area for contact along the length of the roll. The probe 60 is mounted on a block 61 that is attached to a supporting member 62 by a pair of reed springs 63, 64 so that the block 61 is movable when pressure is applied against it. The supporting member 62 is received in a ram 65 and is positionable therein for gauge deflection calibration and adjustment by adjustment of locating screws 66, 67. The ram 65 is attached on the end of a piston rod 68 extending outward from a piston 69 that is reciprocally slidable in a cylinder 70. The cylinder 70 is adjustably positionable in the gauge head 40 having a nut 71 attached at its rear and engaged with a rotatable screw 72. This permits the mechanism to be adjusted for changing the relationship of the advance and retraction stroke of the probe 60 that is provided by the piston 69 and cylinder 70 through selected application of fluid under pressure at operating ports 73, 74. By adjustment of the position of the cylinders 70 in the gauge heads 40, 41, 42, the probes 60 are each positioned at the same distance from the gauge center point during initial gauge alignment. The ram 65 has a tongue 75 that extends into a slot 76 in the gauge head 40 to assure that the ram 65 is stroked forward and back in proper alignment.

The ram 65 contains an air gauge cartridge which has included therein a sleeve 77, and a check valve ball 78 urged by a spring 80 to close an orifice 79 therein. The ball 78 is engaged by a small plunger 81 that is loosely inserted in the orifice and is held thereagainst by contact with a hardened pin 82 secured in the back of the block 61. As the block 61 is swung back toward the plunger 81, the ball 78 is unseated to allow the orifice 79 to be opened for air flow therethrough. Air under pressure is supplied to the space in which the spring 80 is contained from a supply line 83 connected to the sleeve 77. As the air is allowed to escape through the orifice 79, the pressure in the line 83 drops, the drop in pressure being directly proportional to the axial movement of the plunger 81, and correspondingly the deflection of the block 61, over a limited range in which the gauge is designed to operate. The supply line 83 is flexible to allow for the advance and retraction stroke of the ram 65.

The pneumatic circuit for the gauges is shown schematically in FIG. 6. The gauge heads 40, 41, 42 are each shown connected to supply lines 83, 84, 85, respectively, which extend from the low pressure side of variable pressure control valves 86, 87, 88. Air is connected to the high pressure side of those valves from flow regulating valves 89, 90, 91 each of which is connected to the main supply line 92 that extends from a filter unit 93 to which a source of air under pressure is connected. A set of pressure sensitive dials 94, 95, 96 are each connected to the low pressure side of the valves 86-88, respectively, by pneumatic lines 97, 98, 99. A set of balance adjusting valves 100, 101, 102 are connected to the lines 97, 98, 99 and these are adjusted relatively to balance the dial readings during alignment of the gauge system such that with equal deflection of the gauge probes 60 the back pressure in the lines 83, 84, 85 and the lines 97, 98, 99 will produce the same dial reading on each of the pressure sensitive dials 94, 95, 96. The dials 94, 95, 96 are located in the end face of the carriage 38 as shown in FIG. 3 and an adjusting screw 103, 104, 105 is located alongside of each and is connected to one of the valves 100, 101, 102, respectively, for adjustment thereof.

The gauge heads 40, 41, 42 are operated to advance and retract the probes 60 by operation of the fluid circuit shown in FIG. 7. A pump 106 driven by a motor 107 supplies fluid under pressure from a reservoir 108 and at a pressure regulated by the setting of a relief valve 109. The fluid is forced through a filter unit 110 to a fluid line 111 connected to a solenoid operated valve 112. With that valve deenergized the pressure fluid in line 111 is connected to a fluid line 113 that in turn is connected to each of the cylinders 70 in the gauge heads 40, 41, 42 to hold the pistons 69 therein retracted such that the gauge heads 40, 41, 42 can be positioned over the roll 17. The solenoid valve 112 is selectively energizable by conventional switch control means included in a pendent control unit 114 (FIG. 1, not described in detail since it is within the recognized skill of the art to provide on-ofl type control of the solenoid). The valve 112 when energized connects pressure from the line 111 to another line 115 while the line 113 is connected to a return line 116 that connects with a low pressure relief valve 117 discharging to the reservoir 108. The resulting pressure differential on the pistons 69 in the gauge heads 40, 41, 42 advances the probes 60 of those heads toward the roll 17.

The circuit of FIG. 7 also shows a locating and locking pin 118 extending from a piston 119 slidable in a cylinder 120. The pin 118 is carried in the arm 33 and has a tapered end which is advanced into a mating socket (not shown) in the column 32 to locate the arm 33 in the proper angular position perpendicular to the ways 12 and at the correct fixed height thereabove to prevent the inadvertent movement of the arm during the alignment of a roll in the machine. The piston 119 is moved in the cylinder 120 in response to the energization and deenergization of a solenoid valve 121 also controlled from the pendent station 114 as is the motor 34. The pressure line 111 and return line 116 are both connected to the valve 121 as shown and while the valve 121 is deenergized these lines are connected, respectively, to operating lines 122, 123 connected to the cylinder 120 and the resulting pressure differential holds the pin 118 retracted. Energization of the valve 121 reverses the connections between the lines 111 and 116 and the pin 118 is advanced to seat in its socket when the arm 33 is fully lowered and perpendicular to the ways 12.

The alignment of the roll 17 in the machine prior to grinding is as follows. The carriage 11 is moved to place the column 32 at one end of the roll 17 and the arm 33, in its raised position, is swung outward over the roll 17 and lowered by operation of the motor 34 to the position shown, the gauge heads 40, 41, 42 being retracted at this time. The arm 33 is locked in its proper position by the energization of the valve 121 and extension of the pin 118. The gauge heads 40, 41, 42 are now advanced by the operators causing the valve 112 to be energized. The operator then rotates one of the wheels 48, 49 until each of the gauge probes 60 engages the roll 17 as is indicated by deflections of the indicators of the dials 94, 95, 96.

The journal rest 18 at that end of the roll is adjusted to move the roll away from the gauge head for which the most deflection of its probe 60 is indicated until all of the dials 94, 95, 96 show the same reading. The magnitude of this reading is not important, it being necessary only to have them equal. The gauge heads are now retracted by causing the valve 112 to be deenergized. The carriage 11 is moved to position the arm 33 at the other end of the roll and the gauge heads 40, 41, 42 are again advanced, the hand wheels 48, 49 not having been disturbed. The journal rest at the other end is now adjusted up or down, forward or back until the dials 94, 95, 96 again indicate an identical reading which need not be the same as the reading obtained at the other end. The roll 17 is then in axial alignment with the ways 12 and can be ground. The gauge heads 40, 41, 42 are retracted, the arm 33 unlocked and raised and then swung out of the grinding area and grinding follows. A dilference in the readings of the dials 94, 95, 96 from one end to the other indicates the amount of tape-r in the roll prior to grinding and the dials 94, 95, 96 can be calibrated to give a direct reading of this in inches or fractions thereof.

While the invention has been described in connection with one possible form or embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative rather than restrictive and that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of aligning a roll for grinding in a roll grinder comprising the steps:

(a) measuring the deviation of the central axis of the roll at one end from a predetermined center point,

(b) shifting said one roll end in a direction to bring said roll central axis at said one roll end to said predetermined center point in accordance with said measured deviation,

(c) shifting said predetermined center point to the other end of said roll along a path parallel to a desired direction of orientation of said roll central axis,

(d) measuring the deviation of the roll central axis at said other roll end from said predetermined center point, and

(e) shifting said other roll end to bring said roll central axis at said other roll end to said predetermined center point in accordance with said measured deviation.

2. The method of aligning a roll for. grinding in a roll grinder comprising the steps:

(a) measuring the deviation of the central axis of the roll at one end thereof from a predetermined center point and visibly displaying the measured deviation,

(b) shifting said one roll end in a direction to bring said central axis at said one roll end to said predetermined center point in accordance with the visibly displayed deviation,

(c) shifting said predetermined center point to the other end of said roll along a path parallel to a desired direction of orientation of said roll central axis,

(d) measuring the deviation of the roll central axis at said other end of the roll from said predetermined center point and visibly displaying the measured deviation, and

(e) shifting said other roll end to bring said roll central axis at said other roll end to said predetermined center point in accordance with the visibly displayed deviation.

3. The method of aligning a roll for grinding in a roll grinder comprising the steps:

(a) measuring the distance of a plurality of locations on the circumference of one end of the roll from a predetermined reference axis,

(b) shifting said one end of the roll in accordance with differences of said plurality of circumferential locations thereat to equalize the measured distances,

(c) measuring the distance of a plurality of locations on the circumference of the other end of the roll from said predetermined reference axis, and

(d) shifting said other end of the roll in accordance with differences of said plurality of circumferential locations thereat to equalize the measured distances to swing said roll into parallel alignment with said reference axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,808,392 6/1931 Waldrich 51-49 3,088,250 5/1963 Hold et a1 5l165 3,263,374 8/1966 Stuckey et a1 51--165 3,281,995 11/1966 Parrella et al 51165 LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner. 

